Rolls-Royce AE 2100
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use American English Template:Infobox aero engine
The Rolls-Royce AE 2100 is a turboprop developed by Allison Engine Company, now part of Rolls-Royce North America. The engine was originally known as the GMA 2100, when Allison was a division of former corporate parent General Motors.
Development
On 11 July 1989, Saab-Scania A.B. selected the GMA 2100 to power its new Saab 2000, a 50-seat stretch of the Saab 340 turboprop, in a US$500 million deal.[1] In July 1990, Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantara (IPTN) of Indonesia picked the GMA 2100 as the engine for the twin-engine N-250 regional airliner.[2] Flight testing with a Template:Cvt Dowty R373 propeller on a Lockheed P-3 Orion testbed aircraft began on 23 August 1990, and finished after over 50 hours of flight and ground testing.[3]
The GMA 2100D3 became the powerplant for the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules. It made its first test flight on 19 March 1994,[4] which was conducted by Marshall Aerospace on a Lockheed C-130K Hercules testbed leased from the Royal Air Force. Testing ended in June 1994 after 47 flight hours.[5] The engine powered the initial flight of the C-130J aircraft on 5 April 1996.[6] By April 1997, the D3 variant had received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) type certification.[7] 2,000 of the D3 variants have been delivered as of 2018.[8]
The engine's C variant was certified on 20 December 1993.[9] It powered the N-250 prototype's first flight on 10 August 1995,[10] but the N-250 aircraft program was postponed indefinitely in the late 1990s due to the Asian financial crisis.[11]
In June 1997, the AE 2100 was selected by Lockheed Martin and Alenia to power the C-27J Spartan tactical airlifter.[12] In October 2015, Alenia announced plans to use a Script error: No such module "convert". uprated version of the AE 2100 as the baseline engine by 2017.[13]
As of 7 August 2025, Rolls-Royce also plans to establish an MRO facility in India to service the AE 2100 engines in service with the Indian Air Force's C-130J fleet. The project is also intended to enhance the C-130J’s capabilities, thereby strengthening its prospects for the Indian Air Force’s Medium Transport Aircraft program.[14][15]
Design
A derivative of the Allison AE 1107C-Liberty (Rolls-Royce T406) turboshaft engine, the AE 2100 shares the same high-pressure core as that engine, as does the Rolls-Royce AE 3007 turbofan. This core is capable of powering turboprops of up to Template:Cvt.[16] The AE 2100 is a two-shaft design,Template:R and it was the firstScript error: No such module "Unsubst". to use dual FADECs (full authority digital engine control) to control both engine and propeller,[17] allowing both to be adjusted with a single lever.Template:R There are four production variants of the engine: the civil AE 2100A, and the military variants which include the AE 2100D2/D2A, AE 2100D3, AE 2100J and AE 2100P.
The AE 2100 inherited the Allison T56's 14-stage axial compressor design, but the inlet and the stator for the first five stages have variable blades. The annular combustor has 16 air-blast fuel injection nozzles. The turbine that drives the compressor has two stages, with the first stage using single-crystal blades. A free power turbine with two stages drives the propeller through an inner shaft and a gearbox.Template:R The engine has replaceable steel blades and vanes, which are more reliable but heavier than titanium.[16]
The AE 2100 engine and gearbox are rated at Script error: No such module "convert"., but was derated to Template:Cvt for the Saab 2000, Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules, and IPTN N-250, respectively.[18] The engine uses six-bladed, all-composite blade Dowty propellers, including the model R381 on the Saab 2000, R414 on the ShinMaywa US-2,[17] R384 on the IPTN N-250,[19] and R391 on the C-130J military transport[20] and the LM-100J civil-certified version of the C-130J.[21] The gearbox has a reduction ratio of about 14 and a mean time before unscheduled removal (MTBUR) of over 35,000 hours.[22]
Variants and applications
- AE 2100A
- Lockheed P-3 Orion (testbed)
- Saab 2000
- AE 2100C
- IPTN N-250 (prototype only)
- AE 2100D2A
- AE 2100D3
- AE 2100F
- A variant proposed in 1995 and paired with Dowty R394 propellers to retrofit the Allison T56-powered Lockheed C-130 models E through H and Lockheed L-100-30, at a price after engine/propeller trade-in of USD$11 million per aircraft.[23]
- AE 2100G
- A variant offered in 1994 for the proposed ATR 82, a twin-turboprop airliner seating up to 86 passengers and requiring about Template:Cvt of power.[24]
- AE 2100H
- A variant offered in 1996 for Dassault Aviation's proposed Atlantic Third Generation (ATL3G) maritime patrol aircraft (MPA).[25]
- AE 2100J
- A hybrid of the AE 2100A and AE 2100D3, sporting the torque-meter and interconnecting struts from the AE 2100A and the gearbox-mounted accessory gearbox from the AE 2100D3; also uses a stronger reduction gearbox, a Dowty six-bladed propeller for higher loads, and modified inlet and bypass section positioning to mitigate seawater ingestion;[26] powers the ShinMaywa US-2.
- AE 2100P
- AE 2100SD-7
- A variant proposed in 1994 for the European Future Large Aircraft[27] (which eventually became the Airbus A400M), with the required power increase from Template:Cvt estimated to cost USD$600 million.[28]
Specifications (AE 2100D3)
Data from FAA type certificate data sheet no. TE1CH.[29]
General characteristics
- Type: Free-turbine turboprop engine
- Length: Template:Cvt
- Diameter: Template:Cvt
- Dry weight: Template:Cvt
Components
Performance
- Maximum power output: Template:Cvt
- Overall pressure ratio: 16.6:1
- Air mass flow: Template:CvtTemplate:R
- Specific fuel consumption: Takeoff: Template:Cvt[30]
- Power-to-weight ratio: Template:Cvt[31]
See also
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Comparable engines
Related lists
References
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Bibliography
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External links
- AE 2100 product page at rolls-royce.com
- Rolls-royce.com
- Lockheed Martin C-130J specification booklet
Template:Allison aeroengines Template:Rolls-Royce plc aeroengines Template:USAF gas turbine engines